Five Ways to Get Someone to Fall in Love
by xXNaruMayoiXx
Summary: Pearl Fey and Trucy Wright have always thought that Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey belonged together. What happens when Trucy brings along a gossip magazine with an article on how to get someone to fall in love? Oh dear, poor Phoenix! Phoenix x Maya!
1. Prologue

Five Ways to Get Someone to Fall in Love

disclaimer; as much as I'd love to own Phoenix Wright and the franchise so I could pair up him and Maya, I don't. Capcom does. I don't own any of the characters. Unfortunately.

prologue:

"Say, Polly, where did Daddy run off to?" Trucy asked the spike haired boy.

"I don't know, Trucy. He might be in his room." Apollo Justice responded, looking up from the stack of paperwork from his latest case. "Knock first, though."

"Okay, okay, Polly." Trucy rolled her eyes, tiptoeing through the hallway. She peeked through a crack, and opened the door slightly.

Phoenix was looking at his laptop, sprawled on his bed. He was in his hoodie and jeans, his beanie tossed to a side. He clicked a thumbnail, and a full sized photograph popped up.

It was of him, and another girl. The photo peaked Trucy's interest, and she pushed the door open a crack, to see the photo more clearly. Phoenix was about twenty four, in a blue suit and dress shoes. His hair wasn't as unkempt as it was now, and there was a wide grin on his face. There was a girl beside him, and she was holding a greasy bag of burgers, a grin on her face. Dressed in purple robes and with beads in her hair, she stood out next to the conservatively dressed Phoenix.

Phoenix sighed wistfully, staring at the picture again before opening another window to his email. Trucy couldn't help but wonder what her adoptive father was writing, his fingers flying over the keys. Tentatively, she pushed the door open again, but this time, the oak door made an ear splitting creak."T..Trucy?" Phoenix stammered, slamming the laptop shut and whipping around. Trucy looked nervously at Phoenix. "Wha... what are you doing here?"

"I.. I'm sorry, Daddy, did I scare you?" Trucy lied. "I was going to go to bed, and I wanted to say good night."

"Oh... oh, okay... but it's kind of early, don't you think?" Phoenix responded, breathing in relief. Trucy looked, puzzled. What was her Daddy so keen on hiding?

"I... I was tired, so I thought I'd sleep earlier. Polly's still outside, though." Trucy said, and hugged Phoenix. "'Night, Daddy!"

Phoenix hugged Trucy back, then watched her as the girl walked out of the door. Trucy went back to the living room, where she told all the details to Apollo.

"What do you think he was typing, Trucy?" Apollo questioned.

"Hey, you're the lawyer, Polly, not me." Trucy said, thinking back to the picture. "You think that picture was of Daddy's sweetheart or something? I mean, he was pretty flustered."

"Maybe, Trucy." Apollo responded, looking at Phoenix's room.

"I wonder who he was writing to. Maybe that girl. Isn't it great, Polly? If they get married, I might have a Mommy again!" Trucy grinned at the slightly amused Apollo.

"Maybe, Trucy." Apollo said simply, looking amused at Trucy's overexcited demeanor.

"Just think, Polly..."

x.x.

Pearl's feet ached from trekking up the mountain to the waterfall, and the straps of the sandals she wore left painful sores behind. She trudged up the stairs to her bedroom, when she passed Maya's room.

"Say, Nick, you want to visit Kurain anytime soon?" Pearl could hear Maya's voice from the hall, and Pearl smiled. Were Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick still special someones? Maya's voice was slightly hopeful, but anticipating a refusal all the same.

"Wh...what? Me?" Phoenix's voice sounded confused, almost alarmed. "I...I suppose. I don't do much these days, anymore..."

"Aw, buck up, Nick, and keep your head held high." Maya smiled, her cheeks slightly pink. Pearl giggled inwardly.

"I guess. What time are you free?" Phoenix responded, his voice sheepish.

Pearl saw Maya do a silent "Yes!" gesture.

"All the time. I've done all the spirit training, so I just have to attend to my duties as Master." Maya said. Pearl listened earnestly for Phoenix's response.

"Hm. Trucy has a magic show on Saturday, and her next show isn't until next Sunday. I can come any time between those days." Phoenix said thoughtfully. Pearl frowned. Who was this Trucy girl? Was she..?

"Great! You can even stay the week, if you want!" Maya grinned eagerly.

"Sounds cool. See you in a few days, then." Phoenix chuckled, and the line cut off. Maya turned her head, and saw Pearl.

"Were you eavesdropping, Pearl?" Maya spluttered, flustered.

"N..no! Never, Mystic Maya! I was just going back.. and I heard Mr Nick. Is he really coming?" Pearl jumped up and down excitedly.

"Yup. Hopefully, Pearl..." Maya smiled. Pearl still felt confused, though.

"Mystic Maya, who's this Trucy?" Pearl asked, and Maya looked at Pearl suspiciously.

"She's Nick's adoptive daughter. His dad was this magician, and he disappeared in the court trial. They never found him, so Trucy's crashing at Nick's." Maya explained, and Pearl smiled. So Trucy wasn't Mr Nick's daughter.

"Mystic Maya, do you miss Mr. Nick?" Pearl blurted out. Maya's eyes glazed slightly.

"Yeah... sort of." she mumbled.

"Well, you'll see Mr. Nick soon, right?" Pearl said cheerfully, smiling at Maya, who smiled back.

"Yeah..." she said wistfully, staring out at the dirt road, as if imagining Phoenix coming down that path.

x.x

"Nick!" Maya screeched, barreling into Phoenix, arms outstretched. Pearl smiled, peeking out from behind a wall.

"It's great to see you!" Phoenix exclaimed, hugging her back. "I haven't seen you in what, three years?" he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, that's probably my fault."

"Nah, don't be like that." Maya grinned. "Just be happy we're seeing each other now!"

"Hey, are you Pearl?" a voice came from behind Pearl's back. Startled, she whipped around to see the figure of a girl around the same age as her, in black studded dress and white knee-high boots.

"Yes." Pearl looked at the girl, with her strange blue cloak and top hat. "Are you Trucy?"

"Yeah! Trucy Wright, magician in training!" the girl smiled, extending a white gloved hand, which Pearl shook. She looked at Phoenix and Maya, who were still talking. She leaned closer to Pearl. "Don't you think they're definitely in love?"

"Yep!" Pearl responded chirpily, looking happily at her new friend. "I've finally found someone who agrees with me!"

"It's so obvious!" Trucy grinned, and she revealed a gossip magazine from inside her cloak. "Here, I've got an idea."

"What is it?" Pearl whispered excitedly. The young girl could have been ricocheting off the walls in excitement. She eyed the gossip magazine . Trucy flipped to a page that was decorated with pink streamers and heart shaped balloons.

"Here. Five Ways to Get Someone to Fall in Love." she stated proudly, handing Pearl the book. The brunette read it, a grin on her face.

"This is great! Are we going to use it on Mr. Nick and Mystic Maya?" she asked.

"If you mean Daddy and Maya, then yup! We're gonna get them to admit they love each other once and for all!" she cheered, holding up a hand to high five Pearl. Pearl looked quizzical for a moment, before tentatively high fiving Trucy. Trucy kneeled down, and put the magazine on the ground, placing an outstretched finger on the first paragraph. "Now, this is the plan..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **That wasn't too bad, was it? I wrote this in a day, so I might have missed some mistakes. It's also my first fanfiction, so I hope I did alright (: Reviewers will get a virtual cookie next chapter, which should come up this week, if not, than the next.

Edit: I completely forgot that Pearl was supposed to be extremely shy. =.=; Sorry guys! I've never actually -played- a game with Pearl in it yet, so everything I know about her is from Ace Attorney Wiki. I'll have a paragraph on why she isn't her usual shy self next chapter, I apologize for any OOCness in any characters, I'm only up to Rise from the Ashes ^-^;


	2. Roses are Always Romantic Right?

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed my story, they really pushed me to finish this chapter. Then again, playing 2-4 did too ^.^; I hope you like it!

disclaimer; I don't own any of the characters here, Capcom does.

* * *

><p>I: Red Rose<p>

_Though bouquets of roses are romantic despite their colour, red roses are the most symbolic, signifying love and beauty. Their simple beauty was used as a sacred symbol for multiple goddesses in Greek mythology, like Isis and Aphrodite. Roses have become almost symbolic to Valentines Day, gifted alongside a sweetly written card and a heart shaped box of chocolates. In many religions, roses are also said to ward off evil, with some believing that roses are incapable of growing on top of graves. When gifted with a thoughtfully written cards, roses almost always convey one simple message: **I love you.**_

"How can we get Mr. Nick to give Mystic Maya roses?" Pearl asked. She frowned. "How can we get roses in the first place?"

"Hm... Polly's coming tonight. I can ask him to buy them at the flower shop." Trucy said, closing the magazine and placing it in a messenger bag.

"Polly?" Pearl questioned. Trucy nodded.

"Apollo. He works with Daddy, and Daddy helps him sometimes with his trials." Trucy explained, and Pearl smiled.

"Is Mr. Nick going to be a lawyer again?" Pearl asked, and Trucy frowned.

"I don't think so." Trucy said, furrowing her brow. "Or if he is, he never said anything."

"What are you two doing back here?" Phoenix's voice came from behind them, startling them.

"Oh, um, just introducing ourselves, Daddy." Trucy said, grinning. Pearl had to admit, Trucy was a pretty good liar.

"Well, Maya said dinner was ready." Phoenix raised an eyebrow, but didn't question the two any further. Trucy and Pearl exchanged a glance, before following Phoenix to the dining hall.

x.x.

"Polly!" Trucy grinned. "You have the roses?"

"Yeah." Apollo pulled out a plastic bag with a bouquet of roses inside. He frowned at the two girls. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course it is, Polly." Trucy said firmly. "Why wouldn't Daddy want to marry Maya?"

"For one thing, they haven't seen each other in years...?" Apollo began, but Trucy cut him off.

"Trivial stuff, Polly." Trucy scoffed. She turned around. "Oh, hey, Polly, this is my friend, Pearl."

"Hello, Mr. Polly!" Pearl chirped, and Apollo looked amused with the nickname. The young spirit medium looked at Apollo. "Are you staying here with Mr. Nick?"

"Hm, probably not." Apollo frowned. "I've got the trial coming up and I've got to prepare the paperwork."

"Fine, Polly." Trucy pouted. She held the bouquet of roses excitedly. "Come on, Pearl, let's put this in a vase until we can figure out something."

Pearl nodded. She raised an eyebrow, questioning herself. Why did she trust this Trucy character so much?

"Come on, Pearl!" Trucy called back from behind her shoulder.

"Coming!" Pearl said. Whatever the reason, she couldn't back out of it now. And besides, Pearl couldn't resist the idea of Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick getting together.

x.x.

"Ooh, this is delicious, Maya!" Phoenix exclaimed, scooping a spoonful of chilled potato salad and chicken onto his plate. Trucy watched him scarf down the salad and take another spoonful, sweatdropping. Guess months of eating clearance foods and grape juice was enough to make someone appreciate good food.

"Thanks, Nick. I don't really have much to do, so I practice my cooking. I've gotten pretty good at it." Maya grinned proudly, stabbing some wedge fries with a fork.

"Bet you nearly burned the kitchen down the first time," Phoenix joked, taking a healthy serving of meatballs and fries.

"I did. The elders weren't too pleased when the fire department showed up." Maya widened her eyes, and Phoenix nearly spat out his mouthful of food.

"I...I was only joking..!" Phoenix stammered. Trucy grinned.

"Oh, that was terrible, Mystic Maya. The elders made you rebuild the kitchen by yourself!" Pearl exclaimed empathetically.

"I had... er, help." Maya winked, and ate a forkful of roast beef.

"Hey, that reminds me of something." Trucy blurted out, and winked at Pearl. "There's a festival down at Gourd Lake tomorrow night, isn't there?"

"Oh yes, I've heard of it. Traditional music, performances, I've heard the food is heavenly!" Pearl piped in, her voice awestruck. Maya's eyes glittered in interest. Jackpot.

"Hey, that sounds pretty interesting, Nick. I know I'm up for some good food anytime." Maya said, twirling a strand of black hair around her finger. "Fancy driving to Gourd Lake?"

"I... er, I still don't have a car. Or a license, either." Phoenix said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Niiick!"

x.x.

"That was great!" Trucy grinned. Pearl smiled, too, fantasies of Phoenix and Maya's wedding swarming her fifteen year old mind.

"But, Trucy, how are we going to get Mr. Nick to give Mystic Maya the roses?" Pearl questioned. Trucy's grin disappeared.

"Um... I haven't thought that far ahead yet." Trucy admitted, playing with the petals on the bouquet.

"Could we put the flowers in a bag and have him give it to Mystic Maya?" Pearl asked, holding up a blue canvas tote. Trucy's eyes glittered in anticipation.

"Ooh, that'd be a great idea! Mystic Maya'll think he's being romantic!" Trucy gasped, clapping her hands. "Do you have any wrapping paper or anything?"

"I have a clear plastic roll of wrapping paper, it has snowflakes on it though." Pearl frowned. Trucy raised an eyebrow.

"It's fine, I guess it can be symbolic... for something... like... I don't know, snow." Trucy trailed off. She looked at Pearl. "It's the only thing we've got. Let's do this."

She pumped a fist into the air.

x.x.

"Ooh, Nick, this is great!" Maya stepped out of the cab, where she sat in the passenger's seat.

"I agree." Trucy exclaimed, stretching her legs. She blinked at all the lanterns that were strung up above their heads.

"I don't think my wallet agrees." Phoenix grumbled, pulling out two twenties. "I don't see why we couldn't have taken the train."

"Come on, Nick, if we took the train, we still would've had to walk a long time." Maya grinned, looking at her freshly painted fingernails.

Pearl stood to the side, looking for any signs of interaction between Phoenix and Maya. She held the blue tote in hand, where she and Trucy had put the neatly wrapped bouquet of roses.

"It's strange seeing you without your medium clothes on, Maya." Phoenix frowned, furrowing his brow. "You look nice, though."

"Thanks, Nick. I thought it'd be nice to dress up for a change." Maya smiled, and Pearl and Trucy exchanged a tiny grin. Maya was in a purple and blue colorblock dress that reached her knees with blue, pink, and white espadrille wedges. Her hair was curled, with a few large beads in her hair. Everything in her outfit was different, except for the magatama she had around her neck. Maya looked stunning in her outfit, so neither Pearl nor Trucy could disagree with Phoenix's statement.

"Oh, Daddy, look at these wind chimes! They're so beautiful...! Can we pleeeeaaaasssseeeeee get one for the office? I'm sure Polly would like it too!" Trucy exclaimed, tugging on Phoenix's sleeve and pointing to a stand where several varieties of wind chimes hung, the slight breeze making a chorus of different pitches and notes.

"Er... I don't think Apollo would like them disturbing him while he files paperwork..." he stammered. Trucy's eyes went watery, her lip trembling. Phoenix sighed, pulling out two twenties. "Here. But if Apollo doesn't like it, it has to be in your room."

"Yes, Daddy!" Trucy chirped, running toward the windchime stand.

"Trucy... she's an interesting child." Maya remarked to Pheonix nonchalantly.

"Well, despite her quirks, you gotta love her." Phoenix responded wryly. He looked at Maya. "So, what have you been up to lately? Been kidnapped by assassins? Used in any murder plots?"

"Oh, shut up," Maya rolled her eyes, albeit smiling. She raised an eyebrow at Pearl. "What's that blue bag for?"

"It's a secret, Mystic Maya," she smiled, putting a finger to her lips. Maya raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

"Are you planning to retake the bar exam anytime soon?" Maya questioned quietly. Phoenix sighed.

"No, not really." he admitted, looking down. "I guess I just don't want to feel the pressures of being an attorney and being in the media's eye again."

"Oh..." Maya said quietly. Phoenix looked at her, wishing he could say something, but no words came out.

"Listen to this!" Trucy ran towards them, a silver windchime in hand. She stopped. "Was I interrupting something?"

"No, Trucy." Phoenix said, looking hesitantly at Maya. "Let's hear it."

Trucy nodded, and she held out the wind chime. It made a quiet ringing, but a ringing so melodic it seemed to hold everyone in a trance. Trucy frowned- they hadn't noticed the etchings on the bottom of the chimes of a couple hugging on a park bench.

"Ooh, look, Nick! Deep fried Chinese donuts! Can I have a bag? Please, Nick?" Maya pleaded, pointing to a stand with several bags of Chinese donuts.

"W...what? W...why? You already took my money to buy burgers!" Phoenix objected rather irritably.

"Well, I'm hungry now. And I'm sure Trucy and Pearly are hungry, too." Maya said, winking at Pearl.

Trucy already had Phoenix's wallet in her hand, and handed Maya a twenty to buy four bags of donuts.

"Wha...what? Trucy! How...?" Phoenix cried pitifully, mourning his lost money. "Everyone's against me..."

x.x.

"Don't you get enough fatty foods to eat?" Phoenix grumbled, looking at Maya eating her Chinese donut with an expression of bliss on her face. Maya swallowed quickly, puffing out one cheek in annoyance.

"Noooooo!" she retorted. She adopted a sad look, perhaps to earn Pheonix's pity. "The elders at Kurain Village don't let me buy burgers, or anything that has any taste to it! It's all disgustingly healthy vegetables and the latest superfruit. Have you ever drank ginseng tea? It's practically our water!"

"Poor you." Phoenix said dryly, obviously still in shock over Maya's absurd spending, often at his expense.

"Precisely. Ooh, Nick, paper lanterns!" Maya began, and promptly ran over to the lantern stand, her attention caught by yet another shop.

"Mr. Nick, can you hold this for me? It's for Mystic Maya, I bought it at a shop for her birthday, but I'm scared she won't like it. Can you give it to her for me?" Pearl questioned, batting her eyelashes innocently. She glanced sideways at Trucy, who gave her a small thumbs up.

"Er, okay, Pearls." he agreed, his nose suddenly wrinkling. "Is it still allergy season?" He mumbled to himself, stifling a sneeze.

Maya walked back from the stand, her face innocent and sweet.

"Nick, can I have some money to buy a lantern?" she asked, her voice sugary and sweet.

"Where's your own money?" Phoenix sweatdropped.

"I forgot to bring it." she responded lightly.

_Yeah. Right. 'Forgot'._

"Oh, hey, before I forget, these are for- DATCHOO!- you -DATCHOO! ACHOO! AAAAAACHOOOO! from ACHOO! DITCHOO! Tru-ACHOO-cy!" he suddenly sneezed, shoving the tote in her hands.

"Roses, Nick?" Maya asked questioningly, holding out the bouquet. She sweatdropped as Phoenix launched into yet another sneezing fit.

"R..roses? DATCHOO! I...I'm allergic to them! ACHOO! ACHOO!" his eyes were red as he turned to stare at Pearl suspiciously. "ACHOO! DATCHOO! DITCHOO!"

"AHHH, NICK, YOU SNEEZED ON ME!" Maya screeched. The loud commotion attracted stares from curious onlookers, as Pearl and Trucy whispered worriedly to themselves.

"I..is this supposed to happen?" Pearl asked worriedly, staring at the scene before her. Trucy was flushed red.

"Er, no." Trucy responded weakly, scratching the back of her hair sheepishly. "Um... this isn't very romantic, is it?"

"No, not really." Pearl agreed. Maya screeched again as she slapped Phoenix for sneezing on her.

x.x.

There was still tension between Maya and Phoenix as they returned to Kurain Village. Maya had offered a stiff apology, and Phoenix had accepted it just as stiffly. They parted ways in the main manor, where Phoenix headed off to the main guestroom. He motioned for Trucy to follow him, but she offered a quick "later" gesture.

"What are we going to do? I never knew Daddy was allergic to roses." Trucy frowned.

"How about that magazine you showed me? What's after roses?" Pearl asked hesitantly.

"Great idea!" Trucy chirped, and she fumbled for her magazine in her crossbody bag. She flipped to a page with a sticky note on it, a grin on her face. "Plan B- a picnic."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Oh, Phoenix. Always one to mess up plans, aren't you? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! (: I may or may not get around to updating it in around a week, it depends on whether or not I'm motivated to and whether I have a lot of homework over the week. However, judging by the likes of Farewell, my Turnabout, I don't think I have to worry about my muse dying (;

Once again, reviews are always welcomed, and reviewers get a big old box of virtual cookies at their virtual door, delivered by a virtual mailman. ^_^; So, er, review!

**PS: **As you might or might not know if you read my profile, I'm planning an Edgeworth fic, with around five-ten chapters. I'm not sure whether to have the main shipping be Edgey x Franny or Edgey x Kay. There will definitely be minor shippings like Gumshoe and Maggey and of course, Phoenix and Maya. Let me know which one of the two you'd want, preferably with a few reasons why, in either your review or inbox me. Thank you guys (:

~NaMa


	3. A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

I AM SO SORRY. I know it's been nearly two months since I updated! I'm so sorry! -kicks self- Ergh, there's just been a lot of drama with school, and I've been pretty preoccupied with things, among them obsessively reading the Nightfall Trilogy by Stormy. Seriously, even if you don't like Klema, you have to check it out. ANYWAY, for some reason, this chapter was unbelievably hard to write. I have no idea why. Lately, I've seriously been losing inspiration for this fic, because it's basically something I thought up of in, er, five minutes? ^-^; Anyway, that was my mistake. If you guys really want this fic to continue, tell me in your reviews. ACK, okay, I just realized I mentioned a picnic in the earlier chapter. Er, I kind of lost the file for the old chapter, so, can we pretend it says movie night instead? ^-^; anyway, shoutouts below.

kongu123: Fresh. Of course they're fresh. If they were old, I'd get sued for causing food poisoning. And I really REALLY hate doing paperwork.

Naoko Suki: Nah, they made up. Maya's always capable of being bribed with burgers. Ahem. Not that Phoenix would do anything like that, of course... I hope. -glares at Phoenix-

Silvertip37- My, you're becoming a regular reviewer, aren't you? (; Nick just has this amazing ability to attract trouble without intending to.

Secret Serendipity: I believe my shipment has arrived, now. If not, I shall go yell at the postman. ^-^

PS; Thank you to Secret Serendipity and isacullen-timeguardian for offering me their opinions on the upcoming Edgey multichapter fic. I've made up my mind- Edgeworth and Franziska will be the pairing, HOWEVER, I have a oneshot planned for Edgeworth and Kay, so don't despair! Man, Edgeworth's hard to ship =.=;

disclaimer; I don't own any of the characters in this fic, Capcom does.

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><p>Chapter Two;<p>

Popcorn and Soda Don't Make a Good Combination

_II:_

_ You know when you just sort of ramble about things in your childhood that you used to love? When people remember the small things, it shows that they care about you enough to listen. To show your significant other that you care, try to find out what their favourite movie is. Then, plan for a simple movie night. No frills, nothing fancy- just a simple movie night. You'd be amazed how effective it can be._

"A movie?" Trucy repeated skeptically. "I guess we can try."

"I don't really know what movies Mystic Maya likes." Pearl said, crestfallen. Trucy cocked her head.

"Didn't Daddy say that Maya loved the Steel Samurai? There's a Steel Samurai film that was released a few years back, I think." the magician said slowly, looking at Pearl. The young medium scrunched her face, as if in thought, then frowned.

"If there was, I don't think Mystic Maya ever watched it. The elders are strict on their 'no electronics' rule. The TV we have is only hooked up to a DVD player- no cable." the young brunette said. Trucy raised an eyebrow.

"How boring is that? You guys are like the supernatural cousins of the Amish." Trucy declared, and widened her eyes. "No offense, of course."

"Nah, it's fine. We get that a lot from clients. Kurain's just too far away for any cable or internet service to be hooked up. It's okay, though, it's not actually as bad as you think." Pearl frowned, looking thoughtful. "And besides, when you grow up with it, it doesn't seem so strange."

"I guess." Trucy said, grinning. "So, where are we going to get the DVD? Netflix?"

"What's Netflix?" Pearl repeated, confused. Trucy opened her mouth in an o.

"It's kind of like this service that delivers DVDs to your doorstep." Trucy explained, and Pearl crossed her arms.

"I'm not sure that would work. I don't think Netflix delivers so far." Pearl said sheepishly, and Trucy nodded in agreement.

"Well, how about this?"

x.x.

"They're talking about us, you know?" Maya couldn't help but note that her best friend's voice had gotten lower. It wasn't as sarcastic as it once was, and he was more vague than before. She couldn't help but miss the Phoenix she knew before, the one with his clean shaven face and polished blue suit, briefcase in hand. The image of him in a hoodie and sweats just didn't look wright. _Right, _she corrected herself. _Damn, I've got to stop doing that._

"I know that." she responded lightly, turning to face him. "Now she's going on about how you and I should be 'more than friends'. It's a step down from special someones, I suppose."

"I thought she forgot about that. I somehow get the feeling that those roses in that bag I gave you weren't there accidentally." Phoenix smiled. The medium liked it when she saw him smile- it made him look younger and more like when he was a lawyer.

"No way, Nick, really?" she opened her mouth in mock astonishment, and Phoenix grinned again. Maya liked this. Sometimes, the twenty-seven year old could forget reality- that she was the Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique and that her best friend and most successful defense attorney in LA had been disbarred and now lived life as a piano playing hobo. It kind of felt like she was eighteen again.

"So, how are you holding up without your daily burgers, at my expense?" Phoenix questioned, amusement in his dark blue eyes. Maya faked indignance, puffing out a cheek.

"Horrible, Nick! The elders won't let me buy from that burger joint on Eighteenth! There aren't any burgers, there isn't any soda, there's no junk food whatsoever! We practically live off homemade bread and ginseng tea! Do you know how _revolting _ginseng tea is?" Maya fumed, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow at Phoenix's greatly amused expression.

"I know perfectly well how nasty ginseng tea is. You sent at least ten gallons of the stuff when Meraktis hit me with his car. I lost track of how many times I got up from my bed to use the bathroom because of that stupid diuretic they call a tea." Phoenix grinned, hands stuffed into the pockets of his grey hoodie. Maya burst into giggles, waving her hands frantically in front of her.

"Hey, Nick, too much information, alright?" she choked out between peals of laughter. Phoenix smiled.

"Hey, you brought it up. Immature." he grinned, and Maya could see the traces between his younger counterpart and the man before her.

"And in my defense, the elders said it was good for healing stuff." Maya added, her laughter fading.

"I think they meant sore throats. Not sprained ankles." Phoenix said slowly, smiling. Maya stuck out her lower lip childishly, her eyes bright.

"Details."

x.x

"Hey, what's this?" Maya frowned, holding up a disc. It didn't come with any case, and there was no writing on it to indicate what it was.

"Looks like a DVD disc to me." Phoenix said. Maya sweatdropped.

"I know that." she snapped, thumping the ex-attorney on the head.

"You're violent. Violence is bad." Phoenix laughed, rubbing his head. Maya's eye twitched.

"I'm only violent towards knuckleheads like you." she answered, smiling.

"Good morning, Mystic Maya!" the young medium bounded in, her eyes bright. Trucy followed, wearing her normal magician's clothing, aside from the cloak and boots, which she swapped for gladiator sandals.

"Hey, Pearly. Do you know who sent this?" Maya asked, showing her the blank DVD. A knowing look passed over both Pearl's and Trucy's faces. Phoenix had a feeling that he knew what this was about. Judging by Maya's small smile, she had put two and two together as well.

"No, I don't. When did you get it?" Pearl answered, pulling on the sleeve of her outfit. Phoenix shrugged, watching Maya curiously. He knew Maya well enough to guess that she didn't want to crush whatever plan the two teenagers had come up with so quickly.

"Just now, but the mail doesn't come until tomorrow." Maya answered, feigning confusion.

"Pearl and I were out back, so we couldn't see anybody." Trucy answered, and Maya nodded.

"Er, can I talk to you?" Phoenix stood up, despite knowing that it'd only serve to fuel their suspicions. Maya raised an eyebrow.

"Sure." she answered slowly, and followed Phoenix out the door. She leaned against the wall.

"How long are we going to pretend that we don't know anything?" Phoenix questioned, his hands in his pockets. Maya rolled her eyes.

"It's obvious this means a lot to them. Just let them have their moment." Maya scolded, and Phoenix felt a twinge of annoyance. He was seven years older than her and he was getting scolded? That wasn't right. "Just pretend you don't know anything."

"Maya." his voice was dead serious. "I can't act if my life depended on it."

"I'm sure you're fine." Maya said nonchalantly, waving a hand. Phoenix grabbed her wrist.

"No. I was the only one in eighth grade who wasn't in the school play. The English teacher rejected me as soon as he heard my line. I was the only one auditioning for the part, too. In the end, they chose to scrap the part instead of accept me. _I can't act._" he repeated, and rolled his eyes as Maya stifled a laugh.

"Why is it, Nick, that you can survive falling off a bridge and getting hit by a car, but something like acting has you quaking in your shoes?" Maya demanded lightheartedly. The man shrugged.

"Knowing how stubborn the two are, I'd actually rather take getting hit by the car. Hell, I'd rather take drinking ten gallons of ginseng tea." he admitted, raising his eyebrows.

"That's commitment, Nick." she laughed, but for some reason, to Phoenix's well trained ears, it sounded fake. Forced.

"Are the lovebirds back?" Trucy asked, hearing the click of the wooden door shutting.

"Back, wouldn't say lovebirds, exactly." Maya answered lightly, widening her eyes at the paused TV screen. Her eyes lit up, clasping her hands together. "IS THAT THE STEEL SAMURAI LIVE ACTION FILM?"

"Yeah. We played that blank disc you got in the mail, I guess someone accidentally mailed it here." Trucy shrugged.

"There's no harm in watching it." Maya said slowly, grinning. She stared at Pearl expectantly. "Well, what are you waiting for? Unpause the thing so we can watch it!"

"I guess some things never change." Phoenix mused, heading to the kitchen. "Well, I'm off."

"Where do you think you're going, Nick?" Maya questioned almost dangerously. Pheonix held up his hands in surrender. "You sure as hell better watch it. You've missed four essays in the past two weeks, you can pay that off here."

"Did Mystic Maya just curse?" Pearl gasped, but the medium ignored it.

"Okay, okay, just relax, Maya. I'll go pop some popcorn." the ex-attorney said, heading off to the kitchen.

"If you try to escape, I swear, I'll beat you up 'till you're black and blue, you hear?" Maya grumbled under her breath. Phoenix chuckled.

"You really have to do something about that anger management problem of yours, Maya." he chided, almost uncharacteristically, and Maya puffed out a cheek in indignance.

"NICK, POPCORN. NOW."

x.x.

"How much soda did you give them?" Phoenix sweatdropped, eyebrows raised.

"Er... maybe six cans? Each? And a Red Bull?" Maya answered sheepishly. Phoenix rolled his eyes, looking curiously at the two teenage girls. Trucy leaned against the ottoman, her head drooping to a side. Pearl was curled up on the other side of the couch, sleeping.

"I think they had a caffeine crash." Maya observed, and Phoenix rolled his eyes.

"You think?" he answered, looking at the two girls. They'd had their crash around ten minutes ago, fifty minutes into the movie.

"Don't be a smartass, Nick." Maya smiled, leaning back on the sofa.

"I never knew the Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique cussed." Phoenix grinned cheekily, and Maya rolled her eyes.

"All things have to change, eventually." she said matter of factly, thumping her friend on the head. "And that's a stereotype."

"Geez, when'd you get so violent?"

x.x.

The Steel Samurai live action film had finished, and was now at the main menu screen, the theme music looping again and again. The light seared Pearl's eyes slightly, but the teenaged girl rubbed her eyes and grinned.

Pearl opened her eyes groggily, before her eyes widened. She slapped a hand to her mouth, muffling the giggle she was holding in. She prodded Trucy, and the brunette's eyes opened. She yawned, a questioning look on her face, replaced by a look of victorious amusement when she saw what was making Pearl giggle.

Phoenix and Maya had both fallen asleep, in, er, shall we say, _intimate _positions. Phoenix leaned against the arm of the sofa, an arm around Maya's shoulder. The medium was pressed close to him, resting her head and hands on his chest.

Trucy clicked off the TV, and fished out a cell phone, a dated Samsung Galaxy S II. She opened the camera and took a quick picture. Pearl frowned- it had been years since she'd seen a phone, and when she had, it was an old flip phone that would have been deemed prehistoric now. She shook her head- she really had to get back in the loop.

"I think it worked." Trucy observed, and Pearl agreed, smiling. They had faked their caffeine crashes, but eventually fell asleep as the Steel Samurai movie droned on.

"Yeah. I think so."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **k, guys, I AM SO SORRY. I KNOW I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN TWO MONTHS. don't hit me!

the thing is, i kind of lost inspiration for this story. it seemed so awesome played out in my mind, but transferred to paper... i don't know. but, i'm determined to finish it. expect an update in around a months time, maybe less.

i am incredibly sorry that this chapter is like, really cruddy. i wanted to update as quickly as i could, so, er, yeah. it'll get better soon, don't worry! and i added in a fluffy moment to apologize, so, yeah. please to not kill me? ^-^;

ginseng tea to reviewers!

no, i'm only kidding. reviewers get a nommy cupcake! so, review!

-NaruMayoi


	4. Samurai Convention and Revelations

AAAH. I'M SORRY. PLEASE DON'T SHOOT.

It's been... three weeks since I updated. I'm. So. Freaking. Sorry. -bows-

It's just, I've been losing so much inspiration for this story, and I think it can definitely show in my writing. I just have so much more inspiration for my Pokemon stories, but not this, frustratingly enough. The pains of not prewriting. GAAAH. I'm so sorry, I worked overtime to churn out this chapter for you. It's definitely not my best work, and it shows. Ugh. I'm determined to finish this, though. Two more chapters! It's supposed to be a lighthearted short fic, so, er, I added a bunch of random things you may or may not find funny. Guh. Rambling again. Anyway, without further ado, Five Ways to Get Someone to Fall in Love- Chapter Three!

Disclaimer; I don't own Phoenix Wright, Capcom has that lovely honour.

Samurai Convention and Revelations

Chapter Three

-x-

_III: Go somewhere fun, like a show or an amusement park, while paying attention to their personal preferences. For example, if they're scared of a roller coaster, take them to the ferris wheel instead. But most importantly, be yourself and have fun!_

-x-

"A..an amusement park?" Pearl repeated as Trucy set the magazine on the table in the Meditation Room.

"It's kind of a place where there are a lot of rides you can go on, like a giant spinning thing called a ferris wheel and a kind of train thing that sometimes spins upside down." Trucy frowned at her own explanation. "Uh... I think I phrased that wrong."

Pearl grinned, before the tips of her mouth curved down slightly.

"I have a feeling that this would end up backfiring on us." Pearl admitted, and Trucy scoffed.

"I do too, but hey, what can you do?" Trucy shrugged. "When you've got someone as dense as Daddy and someone like Maya, it's probably not going to end up well."

"Yeah, I sort of figured that out." Pearl laughed.

"So I was thinking that maybe we could suggest to them to go to an amusement park, and we'll sort of wing it when it comes to getting the two actually together." Trucy said, looking proud of herself. She faltered as she noticed Pearl's confused expression.

"Trucy..." Pearl began, the brunette trailing off momentarily. "Where's the magazine?"

"Huh? It's right he-oh." she pointed at the table where she left the magazine, but widened her eyes when she saw that there was nothing there. She furrowed her brow, deep in thought. "Where could it be...?"

Pearl looked confused, helping her friend search for the magazine.

-x-

"You're horrible." Maya chided, and the black haired ex-attorney shrugged, fanning himself with the magazine that he had snatched when the two girls hadn't been paying attention.

"Thanks. I try." he answered, a smirk on his clean shaven face. The black haired young woman rolled her eyes, a smile on her pale face.

Pearl looked up from where she was looking, seeing the amused expression on Maya and Phoenix's faces.

"Daddy!" Trucy cried, barreling into Phoenix's arms.

"Uh, hey, Trucy. Why so excited?" he questioned warily, looking at Maya. "Did you let her have sugar?"

"Nope! Not sugar!" Trucy exclaimed, clapping her hands eagerly, wearing a smug smirk. She held up her cell phone, _that _picture maximized on the screen of the Samsung touchscreen.

Phoenix sweatdropped, feeling some heat rush to his face. He looked away, knowing that seeing him blush would be the best way to confirm the two girls' suspicions.

"This-" she pointed at the screen, "is what has me so happy. Care to explain?"

"Tch. Sleeping. I thought he was an oversized teddy bear." Maya said nonchalantly, waving a hand carelessly. Despite her words a faint pink was brushed on her cheeks.

"... oversized teddy bear?" Phoenix repeated, smirking. "So you still sleep with a teddy bear?"

"Uh. Whoops. Said too much, there." Maya blushed, looking away.

"So, does it have a name?" the black haired man teased, and Maya stuck her tongue out at him.

"You and your stupid lawyer ways..." she mumbled.

"That's a really strange name." Phoenix remarked cheekily, and Maya facepalmed.

"Ngh..." Maya groaned, and the ex- attorney poked her, causing her to smack his hand away. "What are you doing?"

"I'm checking to see if you were okay. I thought you picked up something from Edgeworth or something." he explained, and Maya threw back her head in exasperation.

"So this is a lover's quarrel..." Trucy remarked, causing both the adults to look at her sharply. The brunette raised her hands in submission. "Sorry, sorry!"

"Teenagers." Maya grumbled, and Phoenix raised an eyebrow.

"Says the once-eighteen year old who crashed my place for three years and did absolutely nothing." Phoenix snorted, and Maya glared at him.

"Well, if you forgot, Nick, I saved your ass down at court, if it weren't for me, you'd probably be in jail right now." Maya retorted.

Trucy and Pearl leaned against the wall as the two of them began to bicker again.

"This is going to take a while, isn't it?" Pearl questioned, rolling her eyes.

"Yeeaah..."

-x-

"Oooh, Mystic Maya, look!" Pearl laughed, holding up a postcard for all of them to see. "It's from Penny..."

"A Samurai Convention?" Phoenix frowned, looking at the faded background of the Nickel Samurai. Maya opened the card, her eyes lighting up as she skimmed the words on the thick paper.

"Penny's invited us to the Samurai Convention that's going to L.A. in a few days." she explained, a smile brightening her face.

"The Samurai Convention? Whatsat?" Phoenix asked, and Maya scowled, looking annoyed at his lack of knowledge.

"Seriously, Nick, this is what I assign you those reports for." she scolded, highly reminiscent of a teacher reprimanding an unruly student. Phoenix only rolled his eyes.

"Um, Maya? What is a Samurai Convention?" Trucy questioned, and Maya's harsh glare softened, which only served to annoy Phoenix further.

"From what I've heard, the makers and actors are going to talk a little bit about the franchise, and apparently, there's a new surprise they're going to unveil to the fans." she explained. "Penny's told me that there's usually a place where fans can buy and sell merchandise about the Samurai franchise like dolls and art and stuff, and sometimes people dress up. It's really fun and you get to meet a whole bunch of people who love the Samurai franchise and make new friends!"

"Sounds like a royal geekfest." Phoenix remarked dryly, and Maya looked at him sharply.

"It sounds fun!" Pearl giggled, smiling at Trucy's direction. The brunette grinned back, giving a thumbs-up sign that didn't go unnoticed by the two adults.

"I'll ask Penny if she can drive us." Maya said eagerly, bolting outside to the pay phone to call her friend and fellow Samurai addict.

Phoenix facepalmed.

"I seriously need to find new people to hang around..."

-x-

"Penny!" Maya squealed, barreling into her friend in a tight hug. The demure brunette beamed back at her, and the two started chattering excitedly about the upcoming convention. Phoenix only rolled his eyes, leaning against his hand, his elbow propped against the side of the car.

"Hey, Maya! You look amazing!" Penny gushed, and although Phoenix was trying his best to remain stoic, the kind of girl talk he was listening to made him gag inwardly. Not that he'd actually do that, considering his age.

Although the ex-defense attorney couldn't find the heart in him to listen to the conversation, he had to admit that Penny was right. Maya looked, well, _pretty _in her outfit. She had on a simple long, purple t-shirt that reached her hips and hugged her curves, a semi-transparent white shawl type cardigan draped over her shoulders. In white skinny jeans and sky blue espadrilles, she looked stylish, even.

Phoenix looked out at the window again. Getting caught staring would not be a good thing, considering how Trucy and Pearl were.

He hadn't had much time to properly search for clothes, so he'd tossed on a random t-shirt and a pair of black jeans over some black loafers. Now that he'd taken the actual time to look at what he was wearing, he realized that he'd chosen a unisex Steel Samurai poster t-shirt Maya had given him when he was still a defense attorney.

Penny was in a light pink v-neck tank top and had on an dark pink open cardigan made of a light material. Her skirt was a pleated pink skirt that stopped a few inches above her knee, and with her knee high pink heeled boots, it was obvious she was going for a retro Pink Princess look.

Phoenix practically groaned out loud as he realized his fatal error. Being aligned with those- he looked irritably at Maya, Penny, Pearl, and a slightly confused Trucy- freaks wasn't his cup of tea. Pearl had finished explaining the Samurai series to Trucy, who was still slightly confused over what the big fuss over a clunky metal superhero was. Phoenix couldn't help but agree.

"How long is this thing?" Phoenix demanded, his gaze still fixed outside the car window.

"You sound like a kid, Nick. The convention's six hours, and there's a second segment tomorrow." Maya explained matter-of-factly. Phoenix sweatdropped.

"You're calling me the kid...?" he muttered, trailing off as Maya glowered at him. "Are we going to the second segment?"

"Of course." she said, like it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"Kill me now." Phoenix stated, rolling his eyes.

"Aw, Daddy, don't be like that. At least you have Maya for company." Trucy winked.

"Are you going to drop this anytime this year?" Phoenix groaned, and Maya nodded in agreement, albeit with a slight hesitation.

"Nope." Pearl answered lightly, grinning broadly.

Phoenix chuckled, amused at Pearl's more outgoing personality.

Penny only laughed good-naturedly, a knowing smirk on her face.

"I wonder who we'll see there." Maya frowned, and Pearl clapped.

"Ooh, maybe we'll see Will Powers." Pearl giggled, and Trucy raised her eyebrows.

"Old client. Actor for the Steel Samurai." Phoenix explained, and Trucy opened her mouth in a small o.

"I think Klavier Gavin'll be there for a performance." Phoenix remarked casually, and Pearl's eyes brightened, as well as, to his slight annoyance, Maya's.

"Klaver Gavin? Of the Gavinners? How do you know?" Maya interrogated, and Phoenix rolled his eyes, deeply annoyed at her sudden interest.

"Heard Ema mumbling about 'stupid, glimmerous fops too idiotic to hire their own security for their own stupid glimmerous shows'... that, and it was in the pamphlet." the black haired man said, rolling his eyes. "Fangirls."

"Am not! Mr. Gavin's just a very interesting prosecutor!" Pearl said defensively, crossing her arms over her chest. "And a talented musician too!"

"Edgeworth's an interesting prosecutor too! Come on, he's thirty four and he has a head of silver hair. You can't say _that's _not interesting." Phoenix pointed out, smirking. Maya laughed, and Pearl looked mildly annoyed.

"Daddy, I'll tell Edgeworth that next time we see him." Trucy laughed, and Phoenix shut up.

"Wh..what? Please, don't." he widened his eyes, which only made Maya laugh even more.

"Aw, is Nicky scared of the big mean prosecutor?" Maya teased, and Phoenix scowled.

"He'll introduce me to Franziska's new whip." he grumbled, and the two women in the front of the car smirked.

"Wonder if we'll see Mr. Edgeworth at the Samurai Convention..." Pearl mused. Phoenix and Maya exchanged a glance, before both of them burst out laughing.

"E..Edgeworth? At the Samurai Convention? He won't be caught dead in one!" Phoenix said between peals of laughter.

"AHAHA, Edgeworth... Convention... that's funny! Pearl, you're too good!"

Pearl was very confused.

-x-

Penny left as soon as they arrived at the convention to meet up with some of her cosplay friends, although Phoenix secretly thought that she just wanted to get away from the two adults' bickering. The brunette had said that she'd pick them up at the entrance at seven p.m., leaving them with eight hours of socializing with Steel Samurai nerds. Joy.

There was a large crowd gathering in front of the four, and a disgruntled brunette was pushing her way through the throng of people. She caught Phoenix's eye.

"Ah, Mr. Wright!" Ema burst out, shoving her way out from the crowd. The people she'd shoved glared at her, and she glowered at them with a glare that sent them scattering. She looked frazzled and deeply annoyed. "Glimmerous fop's too damn famous for his own good..."

"Aw, Ema, don't be like that. We all know he has the hots for you." Trucy winked, and the detective glowered at the brunette.

"That's amusing." she said dryly.

"Fraulein!" there was a shout from the middle of the crowd, and Ema gnashed her teeth.

"If I had any sense, I'd just leave the fop there to die." she muttered under her breath, before stomping over to the crowd of fangirls and pushing them away.

"... I like her." Maya remarked, and Phoenix looked at her in disbelief.

"Of course. The violent have to be friends with their kind." Phoenix snorted, and Maya glared at him.

"The idiotic do too!" she snapped, and Phoenix smirked.

"Didn't you hang around me for three years?" he asked innocently. Maya flushed.

"Sh..shut up!" she growled, and Phoenix laughed.

"I won that argument." he stated, and Maya rolled her eyes.

"Lover's quarrel." Pearl grinned.

"Definitely." Trucy agreed.

Phoenix was looking superiorly at Maya, who looked disgruntled, crossing her arms across her chest. Her eyes lit up as she ran over to a stand where the vendor was selling a bunch of Steel Samurai plush dolls.

"Nick!" Maya called over her friend. "Look at these!"

"I don't have money." he said blankly, and Maya shot him a chilling glare. He held up his hands in an act of surrender. "Alright, alright... jeez, Maya, you're scary..."

The black haired young woman said nothing, only looking at the bills in her friend's wallets, taking out a twenty and paying the slightly disturbed vendor for a medium sized Pink Princess doll.

"You creeped out the seller." Phoenix pointed out. Maya rolled her eyes.

"So?" she said, hugging her new toy. Phoenix looked deep in thought for a moment, before he smirked again.

"Is that a friend for your teddy bear?" Phoenix asked, and Maya stared at him, before smacking him.

"Shut up... don't people usually get more mature when they get older?" Maya grumbled. Phoenix sent her a smirk that would have made Klavier Gavin proud.

"I'm not normal, Fey." he said, smiling.

"...is that a pick up line?" Pearl said in disbelief, watching the two from afar.

"...I have no idea." Trucy said, still confused over what had just happened.

"Why's this so hard? Most people would've just confessed their undying love for each other by now." Pearl said, disgruntled.

"Most people aren't this dense when it comes to their feelings." Trucy rolled her eyes, and Pearl laughed.

"Agreed..." Pearl trailed off. Trucy scoffed.

"I mean...seriously... we're fifteen and even we can tell." Trucy sniffed disdainfully. "Sometimes adults are silly."

"Yeah..." Pearl sweatdropped as Maya smacked Phoenix over the head with her newly purchased teddy bear.

-x-

"Nick, don't you just love my new Samurai bookmarks?" Maya giggled, holding up a three-pack of Samurai cards. Phoenix sniffed.

"That's four dollars and forty nine cents." he said blankly. Maya frowned. She looked through her bag, pulling out a pair of gloves similar to the ones the Steel Samurai wore.

"How bout these? They're cute!" she fawned over her purchased gloves. Phoenix's gaze was still dull.

"That was eleven dollars and fifty nine cents." he mumbled.

"I like these, they're cute." Maya smiled, getting slightly irritated by her friend. She pulled out three keychains that had chibi Samurais on them.

"Three fourteen..." he mumbled, and Maya twitched.

"Will you stop thinking of money?" she snapped, whacking him with a bag.

"Ow, damn, Maya, that had a water bottle in it..." Phoenix grumbled, rubbing the spot on his head where Maya had hit him.

"Hey, Mystic Maya, isn't that Mr. Edgeworth?" Pearl questioned, pointing to someone in the throng of people.

Phoenix squinted, an increduous expression on his face.

"Edgeworth, that you?" Phoenix shouted, and the silver haired prosecutor looked sharply at him, eyes widened.

"Oh, uh, Wright." he stammered, pursing his lips.

"Why are you here, Mr. Edgeworth?" Pearl asked.

"Ngh...you know... a case..." Edgeworth mumbled, and Maya raised her eyebrows.

"Don't you prosecute overseas now?" she asked. Edgeworth gulped.

"Nghoo... Franziska insisted I come back to America... after I completed my international studies..." he said.

"But why are you here, Mr Edgeworth?" Trucy asked. "It's a Samurai Convention, not somewhere where you'd think you'd find an internationally famous prosecutor..."

"Er... client of mines... designated meeting spot here..." he stammered.

Phoenix stared at him, before a smirk crossed his lips.

"Edgeworth, you've got a bag from a vendor." he laughed. "So, you're a closet Samurai fan?"

The three of them all stared at the prosecutor, before Trucy burst out into laughter. Phoenix and Maya chuckled, before escalating to full blown guffaws. Edgeworth stood there awkwardly. A rare flush appeared on the silver haired prosecutor's face.

"Nnngh... Wright...!"

Pearl was looking very peeved.

"See, Mr. Nick? I still don't get why you were laughing at me..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Please don't shoot.

Yeeah, I know, not my best work. I think, honestly, except for my Edgeworth/Kay friendship/mild fluffiness oneshot and the Franziska and Edgeworth fic, don't expect too many other Ace Attorney fics from me... I'm sorry, I just don't think I'm suitable as a writer for Ace Attorney. Hn, maybe I'll put up a oneshot compilation. Who knows. And I stuck in a bunch of random Klema 'cause Klema's amazing.

Anyway, I hope this chapter wasn't TOO bad. I didn't proofread very vigilantly, so there may be some spelling mistakes or grammatical errors... constructive criticism? eheh...

TO CLARIFY, I have nothing against conventions. And yes, I know this chapter didn't have many NaruMayo goodness to it but hey, there were SOME hints. ^_^;

Oi. I need to learn how to stop rambling.

R+R? (: I have donuts ! Or, if you're a health freak, -points to buffet table- pig out. But please be dears and leave a review!

-NaruMayoi


	5. Burger Night Out

NaruMayoi doesn't own even one percent of Ace Attorney. /casually cries

* * *

><p>A "Burger" Night Out<p>

Chapter Four

-x-

_IV: What's their favourite food? Take them to a restaurant they like to eat at, to show that you do pay attention to the little things._

-x-

"Tabloids are ridiculous."

He thought that. But his hands didn't obey him.

"No. Don't pick it up- damn. I picked it up." Phoenix grumbled, reluctantly flipping to the page he had seen both Pearl and Trucy reading.

"Five Ways to Get Someone to Fall in Love."

What a ridiculous, stupid name.

But for some reason he still started skimming through the article.

Roses.

Movie night.

"Fun" night out.

Phoenix sighed. So that was how Pearl and Trucy came up with their plans. A tabloid.

He smiled slightly, his fingers tracing the magatama that still hung off his neck. Despite his disbarrment, he had still kept it purely for sentimental purposes. It had lost it's spirtual powers, but Phoenix wasn't complaining. It was somewhat startling when colossal red locks and chains appeared behind Maya whenever she said she hadn't taken something from his wallet to buy burgers.

"... favourite restaurant?" he grumbled to himself, his dark blue eyes taking in the flowery black text on the page. "What is this?"

He looked at Pearl and Trucy, the two girls conversing cheerfully, (most likely thinking of new plans to get them together, Pheonix mused) their eyes bright. Laughter escaped their lips occasionally. Maya was bending over a tarp with various pieces of broken ceramic scattered on the surface. A bottle of Gorilla Glue was beside her, and she was currently sticking together two jagged pieces of the broken urn. The kitten Diego Armando had given them before his death sentence had jumped up on the stand, breaking the urn for what appeared to be the eleventh time since its creation, or so Maya had explained. When questioned, the black haired master only shrugged, pointing out a brown tabby kitten with a black spot on its face, saying that Diego had found it as a scrawny kitten in an alley, and seeing as it looked like Mia, he thought that the Feys would've wanted to keep her. So Miette was under the care of the Feys, but the kitten had a highly mischievous personality, having shredded a sacred scroll along with breaking the urn.

So that was why Maya Fey was currently holding two pieces of ceramic together as the Gorilla Glue dried, somehow still managing to converse with both Phoenix and Pearl.

Phoenix noted with slight amusement that her lower lip was jutting out in concentration as she glued the next piece on, her eyes fixed on the task before her. He had to admit that she had definitely grown up, and while he had adopted a more sloppy, laidback feel, she carried herself with an air of elegance and sophistication while still managing to be her usual self, which Phoenix found quite amazing. Her silky black tresses were put up in a tight bun, a few loosely curled strands framing her face. The Master's attire was quite similar to Misty Fey's, although there were some modern touches added in by Maya, who despite the elders' complaints, argued that the outfit was simply too atrocious for everyday wear, especially for a "young maiden" like herself. It was still a black robe with grey accents, but it followed her curves well, defining her hourglass figure. It was more of an open cardigan than anything, with three quarters sleeves and black ties. Under it was the usual spirit medium garb, a curve hugging lavender dress. Her footwear was like some strange result of a heel and flatform's one night stand, the resulting footwear easily adding another six inches to her height.

He was surprised when Maya's hazel eyes met his own blue ones, the black haired man looking away as a small, shy smile played on her lips.

And of course, Trucy and Pearl noticed it too.

They had wisely decided not to say anything, but instead turned back to each other, giggling once more. Phoenix rolled his eyes, stuffing the magazine he had just skimmed into the depths of his bag, slightly disgusted when his once clean hand came out covered in some unidentified brown mess. After more careful inspection, he had deduced that it was Trucy's age old egg sandwich that had since rotted.

Yup, this was what the magnificent Phoenix Wright had been reduced to, figuring out what rotted food had once been instead of linking two vital pieces of evidence together for a retaliation. What a wonderful life.

He thought back to the magazine.

The words slipped out of his mouth before he could even properly think about it, which probably ended up as a good thing, seeing as had he actually thought it through, he definitely would not have said what he said.  
>"Anyone up for burgers?"<p>

-x-

It had been around four weeks after Will Powers' trial when Phoenix had discovered Maya's love for burgers. She had loudly complained that she was hungry, and asked (demanded would be a better word) that Phoenix take her out for burgers.

At first, the black haired man had thought nothing of it, shrugging and giving in to her demands. He had, after all, thought it would be nothing more than McDonalds.

So she had dragged him to a burger place that Mia had taken her after her trials (Phoenix noticed that she said this very quietly), and that she had fell in love with the place.

When Phoenix stood in front of it, he had to wonder why she had taken so much to the run down business. The bar owner was apparently going for an 80's look to the restaurant with black and white checkered walls and lounge like seating with retro music blasting out of tinny speakers that shoul have been taken to the junk yard a decade ago. The man behind the clerk was a rather grumpy, unshaven man with a beer belly and a yellowed apron that always spoke in five words or less. Phoenix had attempted to converse with him when Maya was on one of her eating binges. Needless to say, he failed miserably.

When the then lawyer asked Maya what was so special about the place, she only shrugged, popped another French fry in her mouth, and said that the burgers tasted good. To Phoenix, it tasted like deep fried bread crumbs. Maya only rolled her eyes, saying that he was not accomplished in the world of burger sampling. He suspected that it was because Mia had taken her there, which, he had to admit, wasn't all that bad of a reason. Until he ate the "burger" again.

-x-

"Hey, Eric!" Maya hollered, the medium pushing open the doors to the burger shop and running in with outstretched arms. The man behind the counter raised an eyebrow, and Phoenix had to do a doubletake before he realized it was, indeed, old pudgy Eric. Except he wasn't pudgy. So he was just old Eric.

"Maya!" he chuckled. "Long time no see!"

"... I can already feel all the bills in my wallet dying." Phoenix grumbled, very annoyed at the knowledge that only Maya had the ability to force more than five words from Eric's mouth. He frowned. He didn't feel all that great, something related to hate bubbling in his throat. He pushed it away, however, knowing that if he acted upon that gut feeling, it'd likely end up with him sitting in the city jail.

The young woman sat down in one of the pleather red booths, flipping absently through the laminated menu. Pearl sat by her side, and Phoenix was pushed rather unceremoniously into the booth by a slightly impatient Trucy, who was cheerfully chirping about wanting to try one of the "world's worst burgers" for herself. Phoenix promptly shushed her, although he did sink into his seat when one of Eric's sons shot him a very dirty glare.

"Hm... I feel like the Onion and Beef combo... with extra cheese... oh, and maybe some sauerkraut, I think Eric has some in the back room..." Maya trailed off, ticking off her fingers. Phoenix, Trucy, and Pearl stared at her incredulously, and the black haired woman frowned, looking curiously at them.

"... sauerkraut?" Phoenix said finally. "If Eric does have it, it's probably forty years expired with all sorts of bacteria swimming in it."

"I've always thought biology was cool." she shrugged. Phoenix blinked, shaking his head.

"You'll get diarrhea." he said bluntly. Pearl looked highly miffed, but Maya only looked deeply amused.

"Silly little Nick. Thinking I can get diarrhea." she laughed heartily, leaving Phoenix and Trucy confused. She stopped laughing briefly.

"Mystic Maya doesn't get diarrhea. Ever." Pearl said somewhat sadly.

"You don't get diarrhea, Maya?" Trucy frowned, and Maya looked proud of her words.

"Nope! Not even as a kid." she stated, crossing her arms and wearing a smug smirk that would've made Godot proud.

"Mystic Misty thought there was something wrong with her." the young brunette medium admitted.

Needless to say, Phoenix and Trucy sweatdropped at her words.

"Hey, I'm all fine now!" Maya said defensively.

"What's your defintion of fine?" the black haired ex-defense attorney shrugged, causing the medium to glare at him pointedly.

"Hmpf. Well, never mind, I don't want sauerkraut anymore. What're you getting, Pearly?" Maya said kindly. The brunette medium gulped, knowing all too well for herself how the food there tasted.

"U..um, I'm not too hungry... maybe I'll just order a soda..." she said nervously. Maya shrugged.

"Whatever you want, I guess." she said, oblivious to a frantic Phoenix whispering to Trucy not to order anything if she valued her life and bowel contents.

After Eric took their orders, there was a brief, awkward silence.

"How can you eat these things? Didn't Daddy say they were 'unqualified to be called food' or something like that?" Trucy piped up. Phoenix blinked.

"Shh, Trucy, not so loud." he said hurriedly, waving his hands frantically. Maya rolled her eyes.

"Pffft, Nick just doesn't have any tastebuds whatsoever. I'm a professional." she said, smirking.

"At what? Wasting money?" Phoenix grumbled under his breath, prompting a glare from the black haired medium.

"Nick, don't be such a sourpuss!" she chided, her nose in the menu of the restaurant. "Ooh, they added a new burger! The prices increased, though..."

"That was seven years ago. How do you remember that?" Phoenix demanded in disbelief. Maya shrugged.

"Call it a burger lover's intuition." she said, tapping her nose knowledgeably. Phoenix sweatdropped.

Pearl and Trucy only stared, and both had come to the conclusion that adults were rather idiotic and never to be understood.

By this time, the two of them had started bickering about bananas and pineapples.

"They say that when two people argue it means they're in love." Pearl began somewhat hesitantly.

"But does it still count when they're arguing about tropical fruit...?" Trucy finished, sweatdropping.

…

"They must really be in love." Trucy said weakly.

"Um... yeah..." Pearl sweatdropped.

-x-

"Yeah! Burgers!" Maya exclaimed gleefully, biting into one.

"Glad you like them." Eric laughed in a deep voice. Once again, Pheonix felt that same bothersome feeling in the depths of his chest, a growl that never left his throat.

Damn it. It was times like these that he was deeply appreciative that Trucy and Pearl couldn't read this thoughts. They'd never let him live it down.

"Amazing!" Maya's approving voice broke his train of thought. She was holding the burger between oil soaked fingers, a grin plastered on her mouth.

For a moment, Phoenix almost thought she was the seventeen year old girl that butted into his life so long ago, so childish and immature but so lovable at the same time. For a moment, he was taken back in time.

"Daddy, it's rude to stare." Trucy smirked. Phoenix shook his head, blinking.

"Uh. What?" he said. The brunette girl looked very slyly at her adoptive father.

"Didn't you tell me it's rude to stare?" she asked innocently, gesturing towards Maya.

Oh.

"I wasn't staring." he said bluntly. Trucy opened her mouth to add something, but a glare silenced her. But it never wiped that smug smirk off her face.

Damn teenagers.

-x-

Phoenix looked the same as he did seven years ago. Same bored expression, his head propped on a hand. It was like she was the 19 year old girl and he was the 25 year old lawyer again, celebrating yet another win.

Except that Phoenix didn't have a beanie.

And he looked a hell of a lot younger too.

Whatever.

Her burger lay on her plate, bitten.

As difficult as it was to admit it, Eric's burgers weren't all that special. She had definitely tasted better, but Sis had brought her there. That, frankly, was enough to make up for the lack of... taste.

She pushed around a bit of ketchup with her fries, still lost in the memories of days gone by. Her strange behaviour did not go unnoticed by Pearl, however.

"Mystic Maya, it's rude to play with your food." she said sternly. The black haired woman frowned slightly.

"What?" she questioned. The brunette spirit medium waggled a finger in a scolding manner.

"You're playing with your food! The elders would be so ashamed of you!" she said, a small smile on her face.

"I-I was just thinking." she stammered. Pearl's smile grew wider.

"Of Mr. Nick?" Pearl asked innocently. Maya blinked, somewhat perplexed as to how she had reached that conclusion (although she wasn't that off in her guess).

"N-no." at Pearl's blank expression, she sighed. "Maybe. How'd you guess?"

Pearl smiled very slyly.

"You talk subconsciously, Mystic Maya." she laughed, touching her finger to her nose.

Damn teenagers.

-x-

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Maya laughed, throwing the greasy bag onto the table.

"My stomach raises an objection." Phoenix disagreed weakly.

"Come on, Daddy, don't be such a weakling." Trucy smacked her adoptive father lightly on the arm.

"Yeah, Mr. Nick! I don't think it's that bad!" Pearl agreed.

"All in favour of Nick being an idiot, raise your hand!" Maya called, and two hands rose, and another was promptly yanked up by Trucy's.

"Shut up." the black haired ex-attorney said, blinking. "It shouldn't be possible to stomach that."

"Who knows." Maya shrugged. "Maybe you're just stupid."

"How does that e-" Phoenix began, but was promptly cut off by Pearl.

"Mystic Maya! I-I think I lost my hair bead in the closet! It's on the top shelf, too! Can you help me?" Pearl asked. Maya smiled warmly.

"Sure, Pearly!" she chirped, practically skipping over to the closet and opening it. She frowned. "NICK! GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE!"

"Coming." he groaned, forcing himself up from the sofa and going over to help Maya. Even with the added inches her shoes added to her height, she still only reached Phoenix's shoulder.

He walked begrudgingly over to the closet, where Maya had turned on the light inside and was pointing to the top shelf, about three inches too high for her to reach.

Neither of them had realized that Pearl was still wearing her "lost" hair beads.

Now, you have to realize something. The closet at Fey Manor was a walk in closet that big enough for two people to stand in comfortably.

There was also a coffee table on the side of the door that was just the height to lock in whoever was inside.

Yeah. Can you guess now?

"Nick." Maya's voice was slightly muffled.

"What?" Phoenix grumbled.

"... we're locked in."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

Oh noez. Can you tell? My writing style changed slightly. I got storyblock near the end of the chapter (you can probably tell by my bleh writing -shot-), but... overall, I'm pretty happy with this chapter. I pumped it out in... a month. Sorry guys. I'm still amazed I even have readers. sdjfgkdjgdslk I'm sorry ;u; -shot-

Anyway, my writing style changed. Obviously. You can probably tell, and it doesn't really fit in. It's all awkward and clunky next to my other chapters, but alas, I'm too lazy to revise the other chapters imean. So, yeah. dsjgdkgldkkgn Also authoress cannot write tabloid articles for shit. So. I'm sorry. xD

Ooh, so Nick and Maya are locked in a closet. /insert cliche storybook ending

PFFT. I have no idea when I'll update this, so, I'm sorry, readers ;u; Hopefully it'll be up two weeks from now. /is determined.

So... if you're still reading this, read and review please!~ Cookies!

And yes. I have not edited this. I'll edit this when I'm not braindead... yeah... what else was I going to say? Oh well... that's what the edit button is for, isn't it? -shot-

Read and review please, NaruMayoi will luffies you!

-NaruMayoi


	6. A Forced and Begrudged SortOf Confession

**disclaimer; **I don't own Ace Attorney. Capcom does. ): Maybe I should change my name to Capcom so I can say I do own it. ... nah.

* * *

><p>A Rather Forced and Begrudged Sort Of Confession<p>

Chapter Five

-x-

"PEARLY! TRUCY!"

"PEARLYYYYYYYY!"

"TRUUUUCY!"

"Maya... just calm down."

-x-

Maya slumped against the wall of the walk in closet, groaning almost childishly.

"Niick, get us out..."

Phoenix sighed, pacing around the obnoxiously small closet, arms crossed.

"And how do you expect me to? It's not like I'm in here willingly, anyway." the black haired man argued, rolling his eyes at the antics of his former assistant.

"This... feels like yet another one of Pearl's plans. Except this time it didn't mess up in some way or another." Maya moaned, burying her face into her hands.

"I don't know. The locked door and the closet seems so stereotypically Trucy." Phoenix added. "When Trucy and Pearl combine forces... man. It's terrifying. Because it actually _works _for once."

"Works?" Maya questioned, looking away briefly. The faintest tinge of pink was splashed on her pale skin.

"Doesn't... fail for once, I guess." Phoenix corrected, scratching his head in sheepishly.

"Hm. I guess."

A tense silence blanketed the air, the two adults refusing to meet each other in the eye.

There was a dull pounding from outside the door.

"Are you guys making out yet? I don't hear crashing!"

-x-

The atmosphere was tense, to say the least.

How are you supposed to feel when you're locked in a closet with your former best friend with two teenage girls plotting to get the two of you together _somehow, _legal or not?

Yeah, it was kind of awkward.

Maya was slumped against the wall opposite of Phoenix, who was sitting there with a bored expression on his face. The Kurain Master pursed her lips, looking at Phoenix for what seemed to him to be the first time in minutes on end.

"So, uh... heya, Nick."

Phoenix facepalmed.

"You're so sociable, Maya." Phoenix grumbled sarcastically. The Kurain Master looked highly miffed, glaring at Phoenix like she wished she could somehow shoot lasers out her eyes. She was focusing with such intensity that for a moment, Phoenix thought Maya would be temporarily granted superpowers and fry him to a crisp. He then shook his head, wondering if Pearls had spiked his coffee or something.

Those weren't sober thoughts.

"Well sorry. At least I was trying to _make _conversation." Maya shot back, flipping her black tresses back haughtily.

Phoenix looked down, straightening his beanie.

"Sorry. Just... I don't. This whole thing's getting on my nerves." Phoenix growled under his breath, refusing to meet eye contact with Maya.

Hurt flashed briefly through the young woman's eyes. She looked down quickly, staring at her feet.

The sight almost made Phoenix shiver. It was so hauntingly familiar.

Memories of Maya, broken and defeated, rushed through his mind. He was, for a second, taken back in time to the case of Redd White. Mia's death.

He could vaguely recall being so shocked by the young girl crying, the image had burned itself into his memory forever.

Phoenix didn't know why he was suddenly remembering that now.

Maybe he, unconsciously, yearned for a better time- when he was still a lawyer, when he and Maya were still on good terms.

Maybe he was just a nostalgic fool.

"Hey Maya... remember Mia's case...?" Phoenix said hesitantly.

The black haired woman flinched.

"...yeah. W..what about it?" she murmured, hugging her knees.

Phoenix wanted to slap himself for his stupidity.

"I guess I was just thinking. How that was when we first met." Phoenix said softly, his sapphire eyes reflecting wisdom that far exceeded his age. They glimmered kindly, almost nostalgically, a small smile making its way only his unshaven face.

"Hey, yeah, now that you mention it..." the corners of Maya's lips turned upwards, looking at Phoenix again. She affectionately punched him in the arm, stunned to find rock hard biceps.

...what? She thought he'd looked flabbier than usual, okay!

"I've just been around you for so long that I forgot about the first time we met. Huh, time flies." Maya grinned. "You're so old now."

"Excuse me? Me, old? Hardly! You're old too now!" Phoenix laughed, his laugh deep and masculine, although still light and full of amusement.

The two laughed for a while. Looking back, both of them realized just how long it had been since they'd acted so carefree, so... content with life.

It took a special person to work such wonders on such hidden, secretive souls.

-x-

"Do you think it's working? I hear laughing..." Pearl frowned, finger touching her lips in thought.

"I have no idea. I don't think they're kissing, though. I don't think you can laugh and kiss at the same time." Trucy made a face, embracing her inner immaturity. She flushed suddenly, her eyes wide. "Not that I know or anything..."

"Oooh, Trucy, you've met your special someone too?" Pearl teased, laughing. The demure brunette poked her friend playfully, who only frowned, knitting her eyebrows together.

"Hn. It's not about me, anyways!" Trucy said, just a little too loosely. She shushed Pearl, pressing her ear against the wall.

"Don't change the subject on me, Trucy Wright." Pearl smirked, her eyes alight.

"Shut up..."

"So, what's his naaaame~?"

"Pearl..."

-x-

"I'm so bored..." Maya moaned, absently playing with a lock of hair.

"I know." Phoenix rolled his eyes, smiling softly. "You've been groaning for the past half hour."

"Well, at least I'm voicing my thoughts." Maya grinned, affectionately punching Phoenix in the shoulder. "Look at you, you're just sitting in the corner looking all philosophical and being all silent and still."

"Hey, it's called being somewhat mature." Phoenix smiled, his deep blue eyes alight with amusement.

"Uh huh." Maya giggled, rolling her eyes. "It's just called being boring. See? When you grow up, you get boring. Not me~! I'm still awesome!"

"Awesome? In who's eyes?" Phoenix deadpanned, and the black haired woman looked highly miffed.

"Well, excuse me! Who's immature now?" she stuck out her tongue, causing Phoenix to laugh again.

"Still you. I'm not the one sticking out my tongue." the man chuckled lightheartedly.

Maya stood up, a wide, childish grin on her face.

"Come'ere, you, I'll beat you up!" she exclaimed, tackling Phoenix with great force.

Can you imagine what happens next?

No?

Watch more chick flicks, you're hopeless.

To Maya's horror, her sandals snagged on one of the broom handles, and, you guessed it, she landed right on top of Phoenix.

In very suggestive positions.

A deep fuschia tinged both their cheeks, as Maya stammered, flustered, a weak apology before scrambling off of Phoenix.

The two of them didn't dare look each other in the eye for the next.. four hours?

Outside, Trucy and Pearl were playing cards, unaware of the (possibly sexual) tension in the closet our dear friends were locked in.

"Speed!"

"Aw, Trucy, that's the fourth time you've beat me!"

"Hehe..."

-x-

"I'm hungry." Maya said abruptly, breaking the hours of silence between the two.

Of course.

After hours of tension and refusing to speak, those were the first words uttered.

And here the authoress thought, thinking that maybe she'd make Maya more mature.

Wait, I'm rambling. Back to the story.

Phoenix (apparently thinking along the same lines as our dear authoress), sweatdropped.

"Uh, beg Trucy and Pearl for food?" he suggested weakly, hesitantly turning back to face Maya.

"...I hate begging. But fine." she mumbled, before banging at the door. "PEARL! TRUCY!"

A small, startled yelp was heard from outside the doorl.

"Mm? I'm awake!" the voice shouted wearily.

"...Trucy." Phoenix rolled his eyes, smiling slightly.

"I'm hungry! Let us oouut!" Maya pleaded, the desperation evident in her voice.

There was a silence from the door that only lasted briefly.

"Haha, no. Sorry~! Confess your undying love or else!" Trucy chirped unnaturally cheerfully. She giggled. "Did I mention Pearly's buying burgers?"

"But Pearl doesn't know how to use mo-" Phoenix interjected.

"Burgers...? W-..what kind?" Maya demanded.

"I think she said the third pounder beef combo with fries." Trucy answered bubbily.

Maya seethed, her fists clenching. She whirled around to face Phoenix, her eyes clouded with emotion. What exact emotions, Phoenix didn't know, but the emotions were there nonetheless.

"I love you, always have since the Von Karma case, now where the _hell _are my burgers?"

It was genuine.

It was awkward, but genuine.

Phoenix blinked, startled.

The door whipped open to reveal a shocked Trucy.

"Well. Uh, that was easy."

The door opened, and Pearl skipped in, holding two brown, oil soaked bags of burgers.

She looked, confused, at the closet, then at Trucy, then at Phoenix and Maya, then back at the opened door.

"Aw, I missed it?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **And there we are! The end of Five Ways!

..

No, I'm just kidding. There's another chapter next, to make up for this crappy chapter's crappiness and the crappy shortness. Yeah. xD

So sexual tension. Check.

Somewhat of a confession. Check.

What to look for next chapter?

Iris. Check.

Jealousy. Check.

Possibly illegal things. Check.

I have no idea when I'll have it up. I'm busy preparing some things for school, hence my disappearance from Fanfiction. Sorry, don't ever think I'm giving up on this fic, because I love this too much and I love YOU, loyal readers, way too much as well (;

Also, my good news.

I'M WRITING A KLEMA FIC~! It'll be short, lighthearted, and it might make it's appearance next year, when I'm finished this. I'm probably biting off more than I can chew. Again. BUT WHO CARES~!

Review, please! (:

-NaruChan


	7. The Happy Ever After So to Speak

**disclaimer; **I don't own Ace Attorney.

* * *

><p>The Confession – Part Two (Or so Pearl and Trucy hope)<p>

A Phoenix/Maya Story

* * *

><p>The days following Maya's outburstconfession were very awkward, tension filling the air as soon as the two so much as stepped into the same room together (although Pearl and Trucy did like to think that the tension was nothing more than sexual tension and that they were only yearning to get into each others' pants.)

After all, what do you do when your best friend for years confesses to you?

It'd be bad enough with a normal confession, but when Maya had only confessed when bribed with burgers?

Phoenix never was an doubtful man. He wasn't a worrier- that was Mia's job, back in the day. He just dove straight in without thinking of the consequences.

But now, sitting in the main hall of the Kurain Village, with Maya right across from him, the quiet atmosphere gave him an opportunity to try to sort out his feelings, which had always been a difficult thing for the lawyer, who'd been so used to keeping a pokerface in the courtroom.

He had a niggling voice in the back of his head that kept telling him his feelings for Maya weren't totally platonic anymore. He'd try to shut it up, arguing with himself, but he eventually gave up.

Phoenix had to accept it- Maya wasn't that young girl he thought of as a little sister anymore. She was an adult- the Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique, no less.

He had to accept that even if Maya returned his feelings, it wasn't worth the risk of ruining their friendship if their relationship didn't work out- hadn't Maya always told him that all the women of the Fey clan never found lasting marriages?

He cast one more quick look at the young woman in front of him, before sighing, dropping his gaze back down to his teacup, empty and filled with soggy tea leaves.

Phoenix was fine with a simple life- playing poker, dealing with the odd case or two with Apollo around, bringing down one or two killers in the process, that sort of life. Romance was never a part of the equation.

It was a question that reminded him of his one encounter with Iris.

-x-

_"Are you ever going to settle down, start a family?" Iris questioned almost nervously. It was the first time the two had talked since she was released from prison a couple of years ago._

_ "I'd never thought of it." Phoenix mumbled, looking uncomfortable at the unreadable gaze the black-haired woman was giving him. He shifted on his feet. "Although I guess, if you think of it, Apollo and Trucy count as my non-biological family."_

_ "No no, silly, I meant a family linked by blood. Are you ever going to marry?" Iris asked again, this time with a little more stubbornness to her tone._

_ "I don't know yet." Phoenix responded, wondering what had prompted Iris to ask that question._

_ "You're in your middle ages, Phoenix. Admittedly, you still look lovely, wouldn't you be wanting to be married right about now?" Iris answered casually, looking away._

_ "I suppose when I find the right person for me." the man answered carefully, grimacing as he saw Iris try to decipher his words._

_ He could almost hear the cogs turning in her head. _

_ "Oh, well.. I see. When you do get married, be sure to send me an invite." she smiled._

_ Maybe it was just him, but he saw a flash of venom in her eyes._

-x-

"What are you brooding about, Nick?" Maya asked, still looking down at the scroll she'd been reading.

Trucy's head snapped up, waiting for her adopted father's reaction.

Phoenix sighed, taking another sip of his cup. His blue gaze was reflected back at him in the water, eyes filled with conflicting emotions- denial, confusion, defeat, and an emotion that seemed to be..

No.

Phoenix almost growled under his breath, shoving his cup of tea back onto the table.

Who did that cup of tea think it was? Making him see his feelings.

Psh. He never liked tea, anyways.

"Not much...thinking about something Iris said..." he mumbled, before mentally facepalming.

"Oh, that's nice..." Maya answered in surprise, biting her lip as she dipped her brush into the ink and writing down a few words onto the parchment in front of her.

Phoenix saw, all too clearly, how she was gripping the brush just a bit too tightly, just a little too much forcefulness in the flick of her wrist as she wrote.

He wanted to slap himself.

Maybe there was a reason he never had a girlfriend.

He clearly an idiot.

Maya was focused on her writing, refusing to look up at Phoenix. Her face betrayed no emotion, but it was clear to him that his comment had gotten to her.

Trucy shook her head, her gaze unreadable.

Phoenix sighed, looking away.

_Damn it.. why is this so hard?_

-x-

_Iris. Iris._

_ Always that DAMN Iris..._

Maya growled under her breath, cursing the black haired woman to hell and back.

Mentally, of course.

She didn't want to taint Trucy or Pearly.

Why was it always Iris? Why was it always Dahlia, or April May, or hell, even _Mia? _What was it about them that was so appealing? What about them made _him _like them so much?

Maya clenched her fist, still scribbling words onto the parchment.

Of course. Big boobs, huge ass, flawless skin, and perfect eyes, like a porcelain doll.

Maybe that was the type of girl he went for. The dick.

She felt disgusting in her skin. She was just some _stupid, little girl. _

A stupid little girl, with too much weight on her shoulders and an all too realistic view on life in itself.

Maybe her profession was too morbid for him. Maybe the whole idea of channeling spirits was too dark for him. But then again, she thought, digging her fingernails into her skin, he did go to his fair share of murder scenes.

Maybe she was just too _ugly. _She didn't think she was ugly, but she didn't think she was beautiful. Not supermodel beautiful, anyway.

Did he even care about her? Was she just some stupid girl he was forced to take under his wing after her big sister died? Now that she was old enough to take care of herself, did he just not _care? _

"Maya! Damn it, you're bleeding!" Phoenix snapped, breaking her train of thought.

A few droplets of blood had formed on the opening of the cut that tarnished the skin of her wrist. A drop of blood had pooled on the hardwood flooring. Had it been from her fingernails?

_I hadn't even noticed... _she thought bitterly, watching as Phoenix heaved himself up, grabbing a towel and wetting it in the sink.

"Clean it up." Phoenix instructed, like she was a little girl.

"No." she grumbled back, her lower lip jutting out stubbornly.

The older man rolled his eyes, before sitting next to her and grabbing her wrist. She felt a fluttering in her stomach that she just couldn't help.

There was a tenderness his touch, like a mother tending to her child. Which was ridiculous, since Phoenix was a guy.

Damn it, he was doing things to her mind.

Maya needed air.

Muttering a thank you under her breath, she tore her wrist from his grip, running outside.

She could hear Phoenix standing up from behind her, and Pearly's little, mousy voice.

"Leave her be, Mr. Nick.."

-x-

Maya leaned against the big fir tree, secretly enjoying the way the broken bark dug into her skin.

It gave her something else to think about, if only for the time being.

This was her lake. Hers and Mia's, anyway. They'd found it when they were little, when Maya was only eight and Mia had just graduated high school. They'd just had a fight with their aunt Morgan, and they had run off to blow off some steam. Maya had taken them down the wrong fork in the road (though she'd always insist she was still right, even now) and they'd arrived in a thicket of trees. It was then that Maya had burst into tears at the prospect of being lost. Mia had only laughed softly, pointing past the vast sea of tree trunks. Surprisingly, they had managed to get into the clearing (Mia had quelled her fear by pretending they were in The Jungle Book, which had been Maya's favourite story, then) by taking a shortcut and trampling a few daisies in the process. They were stunned to find a lake- not a particular big one, mind you, but just big enough. It even had a small, delapidated dock where they could jump off of. With the summer scorching hot that year, Maya hadn't even bothered to take off her robes before jumping in with a splash.

Her aunt Morgan hadn't been particularly happy to see the two of them later that day, dripping with water and their robes soaking wet.

She smiled wistfully at the memory, bringing her knees to her chin and looking at the lake before her. It looked just like it had so many years ago- with beautifully still, clear blue water and lilypads drifting on the surface lazily. It was abuzz with noise- the sounds of birds singing cheerful melodies to each other, the bass ribbits of toads and the high pitched warbles of the frogs that burst from the thickets of catstails occasionally.

_Sis... how is she doing? Is she gossiping with Mr. Armando over a cup of coffee up in heaven? _

Another wave of nostalgia washed over her, with tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

She wanted Mia back. She wanted Mr. Armando back. She wanted her mom back.

Why her? Why was she the one with the sad life? Was she the girl that everyone secretly pitied for her sad, miserable life? Was she the little girl who'd lost everyone she cared about?

She sighed, resting her forhead onto her knees.

Where was her Diego Armando? Where was _her _boyfriend, the one who'd give up everything to save her?

Maya smiled wistfully as she remembered how she'd walked in on Mia and Diego making out one time. Mia had been 21, and Diego 25. She had been interning at Grossberg Law Offices for two years, and had stopped declaring her dislike for Diego a year ago. Maya had been 11, and just had a nightmare about her mother. She'd ambled into her sister's room, clutching her teddy bear with tear tracks on her cheeks. Imagine the surprise she felt when she saw Diego and Mia making out, Diego pinning Mia down by her wrists and straddling her. Their lips never left each others.

It'd been kind of awkward when Mia finally realized Maya was standing there, wide eyed and in a state of shock.

Maya laughed softly to herself.

Oh, she was a sheltered little kid.

The bushes beside her rustled, and she tensed.

What happened to privacy these days?

She growled under her breath when Phoenix emerged from the bushes, his hair covered with leaves and looking like he'd just wrestled with a blackberry bush.

"You hug a bush or something, Nick?" Maya joked, raising her fine eyebrows questioningly.

"No. I don't know. I think a raspberry just squirted juice in my eye." Phoenix blinked, rubbing at an eye. "The sky's not supposed to be purple, is it?"

Maya shook her head, cracking a smile.

"God... you just don't grow up, do you?" she asked softly. Phoenix shook his head, running a hand through his messy, uncombed hair. He'd left his beanie back at the village, and Maya clucked her tongue, grinning. "So, you weren't lying when you said your hair was natural, hm?"

The black haired woman laughed as he faux gasped, looking thoroughly offended, if only for her amusement.

"I'm sorry? You didn't believe me? All this is _au naturale!_" Phoenix grinned, taking a seat next to her.

"Let me guess, you failed at French as a kid, right?" Maya rolled her eyes, punching Phoenix on the arm.

"How'd you guess?" the man sighed, chuckling under his breath. "And to answer your earlier question, no. To me, growing up is optional."

"Now what happened to that mature, father figure Trucy was gushing over to me yesterday?" Maya stuck out her tongue. "Oh, hey, look, bunny!"

"Growing up is overrated." Phoenix said matter-of-factly. "Ask Larry."

"Did you really just say that?" Maya gaped. The former lawyer looked shocked.

"I.. I think I did!" he stammered dramatically.

The two of them stared at each other, before bursting into peals of laughter.

Impulsively, Maya threw her arms around Phoenix's shoulders.

"God, Nick. I missed you." she whispered, hugging him.

Phoenix laughed, slinging an arm casually around her waist.

"I missed you too, Maya. My wallet would disagree though." Phoenix added cheekily, kissing her forehead.

Maya buried her face into his chest to hide the blush that was growing on her face.

-x-

"How'd you find this place, anyway?" Maya asked quietly, leaning against Phoenix.

"Please. I spent my working years digging through forests and murder scenes. I followed the footsteps." Phoenix answered simply, pointing at her wooden platforms.

Maya bit her tongue.

"So.. um... what are we? God, this feels like a chick flick or something. The only thing that'd be worse if it was a sunset or it rained or something else." Maya rolled her eyes, her voice wavering near the end.

Phoenix sighed.

"What do you want us to be? It's obvious we passed 'just friends' ages ago." Phoenix said quietly. He smiled. "Hey, I've never seen you nervous before. I should videotape this."

"Tactless asshole." Maya grinned, whacking at him.

"Grown up words." Phoenix grinned childishly, before grabbing her wrist and pulling her in.

He touched her lips onto his softly, almost a bit tentatively, as if he was afraid of hurting her.

Rolling her eyes, Maya slung her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.

"Pansy." she whispered, her lips upturning.

She felt his arms around her waist, and her fingers ran themselves through his hat hair. He leaned back against the bark of the birch, breathing deeply.

"I love you." he murmured huskily into her ear, his breath hot on her skin.

She blushed, smacking him lightly on his shoulder.

"I've waited years to hear you say that, you asshole." Maya giggled, kissing him teasingly on the nose. "I love you too, you retard."

"You're romantic, aren't you?" Phoenix couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

-x-

"This was me and Mia's special place, you know? This is where I can feel her presence the most." Maya said softly, leaning against Phoenix's shoulder. "It's kind of stupid hearing me say this, isn't it, considering that I channel dead spirits for my job."

"Hey, who am I to judge?" Phoenix raised his eyebrows, wrapping an arm around her small shoulders.

"I don't know.." Maya mumbled, looking at the lake.

"... hey, did you know, Larry set Edgeworth and our lovely Franzy on a date." Phoenix grinned slyly, looking at Maya.

Maya looked close to bursting into giggles.

"Edgeworth and _Franziska?" _Maya repeated in slight disbelief. "Whoa, that's kind of..."

"Yeah, I know." Phoenix agreed, scratching his head. "But Larry never gave up. He said something about 'incest being hot' or something."

"That's disgusting." Maya wrinkled her nose.

"It's Larry." Phoenix shrugged, his blue eyes twinkling in amusement. "But they actually had a good time. I thought I even saw them _kissing._"

"WHOA! Whoa, whoa, backtrack, Nick. _Them, kissing?_" Maya's jaw dropped, giggling.

"I saw what I saw." Phoenix shrugged nonchalantly, absently playing with a lock of Maya's black hair.

"Larry actually did something right for once. But I never thought Edgeworth would go for someone like Franziska." Maya blinked appreciatively. She grinned slyly. "Maybe he likes the whole concept of whips, hm?"

"Oh, eugh, Maya, bad mental image." Phoenix shuddered, and Maya smirked, sticking her tongue out.

"... Pearly and Trucy are never going to let us live this down, you know that, right?" Maya said finally, after a brief silence.

"Who cares. Let them be right." Phoenix grinned, smiling.

Maya blushed, looking away.

It was still foreign to her.

Phoenix loved _her. _Not in the little sister way, too. He liked her... like _that. _She was the reason his eyes glazed over like that, the reason he smiled softly sometimes when he thought of her subconsciously. She was the reason.

She pinched herself.

She blinked, and Phoenix was still in front of her, a quizzical look on his face.

Maya grinned.

So it wasn't just a dream, hm?

Maya didn't dwell on her insecurities for too long. She jumped up, dragging Phoenix up.

"Come on, you lazy oaf!" Maya shouted, kicking off her shoes. "LAST ONE TO THE LAKE HAS TO SCRUB THE KITCHEN AND GIVE GRANDMA ELISA HER FOOT RUB!"

"Wait, what, Maya, that's not f-"

"WAIT, WAIT FOR ME!"

"Catch up~!"

"I CA- OW, OW, YOU NEVER TOLD ME THERE WERE PEBBL-"

"Use your eyes, Nicky!"

"Don't call me Nicky, Maya...y."

-x-

There were romantic couples. There were cute, spontaneous couples.

Then, there were Maya and Phoenix.

"I hate you." Phoenix grumbled under his breath, shooting a deathly glare in Maya's direction.

The younger Fey was lying on a beach chair, fanning herself and sipping lemonade.

"You lost the race." Maya said matter of factly.

"You got a head start." Phoenix huffed, before being hit over the head with Elder Elisa's cane.

"No talking! More foot rubbing!" she croaked, glaring at Phoenix like he was a particularly undesirable piece of dirt. "Damn outsiders..."

"Hehe, you love me." Maya teased, sticking her tongue out.

Phoenix had to resist the urge to throw up as he rubbed Elder Elisa's wrinkled foot. He grimaced as he popped a pimple.

"WIPE THAT UP!"

Maya burst into laughter at the shellshocked expression on Phoenix's face.

Phoenix, while gingerly wiping up the pus around Elisa's big toe, was mentally calculating whether or not to make a break for it, an idea that seemed more and more appealing as the seconds passed.

He flinched.

"Er... Maya, is pus _supposed _to be green?"

-x-

Pearl and Trucy were, as expected, ecstatic at their confession.

Phoenix had decided to delay moving in with Maya to Kurain until Trucy was in college, as to not disrupt her schooling. He also decided against retaking the bar exam, but took up art again in his later years, inspired by the lake where he and Maya had.. er, hooked up. He became a moderately mainstream artist, his pieces, inspired by the scenery in Kurain and the city of Los Angeles, often selling for thousands.

Trucy graduated and was accepted to Stanford, and much to Phoenix's delight, decided that she wanted to go into law, but the paperwork side of law. She developed an affinity for sushi, and often wrote home, asking for more money to sample the sushi places around Palo Alto. Trucy also dabbled in fashion design during that period. Whenever she was home, she often used Phoenix and Maya as models, defending herself by saying, "Hey, a fashion designer's gotta do what she's gotta do to make ends meet!" After that statement, she would treat herself to sushi at a high end restaurant in Los Angeles. Phoenix often questioned her priorities.

Pearl continued her studies in spirit channeling and dated Wocky Kitaki in that time, much to Phoenix's horror. It was safe to say that eventually, forced extended periods of time alone with Wocky had made him familiar with all the rock, pop punk, rap, and emo bands Wocky was interested in. Phoenix often remarked that Wocky was the reason he needed hearing aids at the age of 37.

Maya became a very successful Master, breaking many traditions and integrating modern aspects to day to day life in the Kurain Village. Maya also made spirit channeling appealing to the mainstream market and celebrities, which earned her enough money to build her own burger joint in Kurain Village, much to the displeasure of the elders.

-x-

"This is nice. How'd you convince the elders to let you build a burger joint here?" Phoenix asked, taking a bite out of his bacon cheeseburger. He had just finished moving in, as Trucy had gotten settled in her dorm already.

"I didn't. They almost locked me out of the Palace one day." Maya shrugged, scarfing down the rest of her burger.

"Hm." Phoenix said, twiddling his thumbs as he took a sip of his Sprite. He looked oddly nervous as Maya opened the wrapper of another burger.

"What the hell is this?" Maya grumbled, ripping open the many layers of wrappers. She stopped, her mouth agape, as she saw the ring taped to the last wrapper, above the scrawled words of "I love you. Hey, marry me?"

"Yeah. Um. Will you marry me?" Phoenix stammered, flushing.

"Of course, you goofball. This was not the romantic proposal I'd been expecting, but hey, burgers, who cares?" she grinned, blowing a kiss in Phoenix's direction. She paused, crossing her arms.

"I'm missing a burger after your fake wrapper burger. How shall we solve this problem, hm, fiance?" Maya stated, blushing slightly as she called Phoenix her fiance.

"Ugh. I'll get the missing burger for you." Phoenix rolled his eyes, standing up.

"Hey, you're the one that proposed." Maya pointed out, grinning cheekily.

"I know. I was going to put the ring in the burger at first, but I was afraid you'd be your typical self and swallow the damn thing. So yeah. Another burger, coming up." Phoenix cracked a smile.

"Cheeseburger, don't forget!" Maya hollered.

"Cheeseburger, easy on the onions, extra mayo. I got it." Phoenix called back over his shoulder.

Maya sat back down, grinning shyly to herself.

Fiance. Fiancee.

She liked the sound of that.

She paused.

"Hey, Nick, another order of fries while you're there, too!"

Hey, if she had a fiance, might as well have him be useful.

And framed on the wall, doing nothing but looking pretty and collecting dust, was that one fateful issue of Teen Vogue magazine, in all its flashy, obnoxious pink glory.

-end-

* * *

><p><strong>an: **

it's the end. it's really the end. WAAAAH. I'M GOING TO MISS THIS STORY SO MUCH.

Thank you, to all you readers, for sticking with this, through sporadic and infrequent updates and horrifically written early chapters. I love every single one of you all.

I've never pictured Maya/Phoenix as a romantic couple. They're a fun, sporadic, impulsive couple. And I learned that I am a complete and utter failure at kiss scenes. /orz

anyway, this story is FINISHED. Thank you all, as always, REVIEW!

It's also the one year anniversary of the day I published it. Coincidence, much? keke. Thanks all for sticking with this, and review! (:

-NaruMayoi


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